Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TREKKING¨AROUND¨KARAKOL
The Terskey Ala-Too range that rises behind Karakol ofers a ine tate of the Tian Shan. Of
the numerous possible routes that climb to passes below 4000m, the bet of them take in
the alpine lake Ala-Köl. A range of trekking and camping equipment, including toves and
tents, can be rented from CBT (p263) and several tour agencies, notably
Ecotrek
(Trekking
Workers Association;
%
070-951 1155, 511 15; www.ecotrek.kg; Jusup Abdrakhmanova 116)
and Alp
Tour Issyk-Köl (p264).
Ak-Suu¨Village¨to¨Altyn-Arashan
To get from Ak-Suu Village to Altyn-Arashan, jut follow the main 4WD track for four or
ive hours. Easy, despite the great altitude gain (1800m to 3000m), beautiful and no need
to carry heavy gear as there are lodges at the top. Trailhead accessible by Ak-Suu
marshrutka.
A day-hike extension from Altyn-Arashan could take you 4½ hours further up the valley,
branching eat and then south for views of Palatka (4260m).
Karakol¨Valley¨to¨Arashan¨Valley,¨via¨Ala-Köl
You'll need a minimum of two nights to hike from Karakol Valley to Arashan Valley, via Ala-
Köl. Hike up from the end of the bus 101 route (about 200m before the national park gate)
for about six hours to where the Ala-Köl Valley branches to the left. Two hours up brings
you to the carved wooden Kurgak Tor camp; another ive hours takes you pat waterfalls
to the high-altitude, barren Ala-Köl lake. A 30-minute walk along the north shore ofers
camping at the base of the Ala-Köl Pass. The trail to the 3860m pass is inditinct with seri-
ously scary sections on loose scree. Five hours downhill from the pass brings you to Altyn-
Arashan, from where you can hike down to Ak-Suu the next day.
Jeti-Öghüz¨to¨Altyn-Arashan,¨via¨the¨Karakol¨Valley
Set aside a minimum of four or ive nights to hike from Jeti-Öghüz to Altyn-Arashan, via the
Karakol Valley. The trail heads up the Jeti-Öghüz river valley (there are spots to camp along
the way), crossing eat over the 3800m Teleti Pass into the Karakol Valley. From here, head
Seven¨Bulls¨
ROCK FORMATION
One of Kyrgyzstan's most photographed nat-
ural features, the Seven Bulls (Jeti-Öghüz) is
an abrupt serrated ridge of ferric-red sand-
stone cliffs that have been vertically diced
into a series of rounded bluffs. The forma-
tion isn't especially big, but it looks particu-
larly striking in late spring when the rock's
rosy colours contrast with the surrounding
green fields and hills. The ridge rises di-
rectly north of the Soviet-era sanatorium,
Jeti-Öghüz Korort. For the best view, walk
10 minutes up a ridge-track doubling back
behind the pair of shops where the access
road's asphalt stops. From this viewpoint
you can also look southeast into the deep-
cut
Valley¨of¨Dragons
(Ushchelie Drakonov)
, a
less colourful feature but photogenic for its
heavily wind-sculpted sides.
Seen from the north side, the Seven Bulls
ridge appears largely tree-covered with only
the deepest crevice of red-rock visible. From
this view the ridge goes by the alternative
name
Broken¨Heart
(Razbitoye Sertse)
and
is associated with many tragic, if romantic,
legends.
Kök-Jaiyk¨
LANDSCAPE
(Valley of Flowers)
From Jeti-Öghüz Kurort,
an unpaved road (impassable with snow
from November to March or later) climbs
through a dainty pine-dappled valley, cross-
ing and recrossing a gurgling stream on
four log bridges. It emerges after around
4km onto a grassy mountainside with joy-
ous Sound-of-Music views. Looking south,
Alpine peaks form a splendid horizon across
the deep, wide Kök-Jaiyk (Valley of Flowers)
that falls away in front of you. If you're walk-
ing from (and back to) Jeti-Öghüz in one
day, use the limited time to explore the first
area of mountain-view pastures. However,
with more time, or given a decent 4WD,
you could descend steeply into the bigger
transverse valley, then head right towards
the (hard-to-find) waterfall or left across the
